Night-service attachment for telephone-lines.



Invenlor E EEEEE;

PATENTED JULY 2, 1907.

Fig. 2.

O. E. AOKERMAN. NIGHT SERVICE ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONE LINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.27, 1905.

wiln

WM G, 1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NIGHT-SERVICE ATTACHIMENT FOR TELEPHONE LINES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented may 2,1907.

Application filed Septembe 27,1905. Serial N0. 280,366.

To aZLwhom it may concern:

Be it known that l, CLARENCE EDWARD Acxnmmx, a citizen of the United States. residing in the township of Vernon, in the county of Shiawassee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Night-Service Attachment for 'Ielephonc-Lines, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus which when used in connection with metallic telephone lines as herein specified will enable any telephone subscriber on an exchange usingmy invention to call and talk with the operator who may be in his residence or to any number of doctors up to about forty who may be at their otiiccs or residences without the help of an operator at the swi tch-board.

My invention when used will enable telephone users to talk with their doctors or attorneys at night or Sundays or at other times when there is no operator at the switchboard without disturbing any of the lines of the exchange or any of the parties on any of the lines in case the same are party lines.

My invention will work as well in connection with party or farm lines as with individual lines or will work as well in connection with bolh party and individual as with either one class of lines,

The object of my invention is to enable telephone users that are connected to rural or small exchanges that do not keep an operator at the switch-board at all times, to get connections with the doctors of such exchanges in case of emergencies, and in case the operator is wanted he can be called andinterviewed without his leaving his residence or sleeping room.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated I in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1, is a front view of the machine as it looks when in use at night or when there is no operator at the switch-board. Fig. 2, is a front View of the machine when not in use or when the operator is at the switchboard ready to attend to calls. Fig. 3, is a diagram of the,wiring of an exchange which shows the machine represented by A, connected on the telephone lines.

Similar letters refern to similar parts in the different views, excepting those inclosed in parenthesis 0.,

In Fig. 1, and Fig. 2, Z, represents a wooden foundation of the machine.

B, represents a. copper switch. 1

0, represents a fiber strip which holds the contacts 1), in place and also acts as a holder to hold the switch 13 in place when the switch is closed as in Fig. l.

E represents a guide with a catch to hold the switch open as in Fig. 2. E is fastened on to Z, with screws.

D, represents separate contacts made of flexible copper and arranged to spring away from the foundation Z, up against the fiber 0, so that when B, is placed between the contacts D, and the fiber C, a good connec-j tion-will be made between contacts D, and switch B,

as in Fig. 1. When the switch B is opened as in Fig. 2

all the contacts D will be disconnected from each other that is no electrical current will be able to pass from one contact to the other.

Switch I has a hard rubber handle attached reprerented by I. The other end of B, is fastened to Z, by

washers & a screw. which enables B, to be moved from catch F, on E, to the other end of or between;

contacts D, and liber C. Contacts D, are numbered from 1, to21. i

Contacts D, are soldered, to wires which run through holes in Z, and extend up the back of Z, and comeout at the upper right-hand corner of Z, in the form of cable G.

Cable G. is connected to the telephone lines at the distributing rack as represented in Fig. 3, contact, D represented by I, is connected to the wire of line (1,) through its wire running through cable Gwhich is composed of insulated wire. Contact D, represented by 2, is connected to the wire of line (2,) through its wire in cable G. The wires in cable G are so connected to contacts D and the wires of the lines so that a certain contact having a certain'number will be connected other side connected to the ground as represented in Fig. 3.

0, represents the operators telephone Fig. 3 contains a diagram of the machine represented in Fig. 1, and Fig. 2, which has only 4 contacts D, and no foundation Z, as shown in Fig. 1 8: Fig. 2. The cable is also omitted and the connections are represented in the plainest possible manner. 7 The machines can be made -with any number of contacts without changing the general plan of construction.

The machine is operated as follows in connection with telephone lines 1st allt elephones connected on the exchange must be equipped, with ground keys represented by G, K, in Fig. 3, of the drawing. In case the wires running to the left hand binding post of the telephone are equipped with the ground keys the right hand binding post must be connected to the wires of the line on which the telephone is connected (I claim nothing on account of the ground keys.)

All telephones that are desired to be-called without the assistance of the operator-must be equipped with a switch which can be turned on at night and off in the day time or duri ugthe time the operator is at the board. Also if the switch board is wired as in the drawing in Fig. 3 so that the drop is thrown only when parties on the line press their ground keys & ring; a switch is placed at a point between the drops St the ground aslin Fig. 3 as represented by Y, which when opened at night cuts all the drops out, (I claim nothing on account of switch Y, as represented in Fig. 3. also nothing on account of g the wiring of the dr ps.) Tn case one side of the drop is not taken to a common ground as in Fig. 3, but wired back to-the side of the jack which is connected to the wires of thelines no switch Y will he needed as the drops in that case will not be thrown in case a party cells the 5 doctor or operator at night or when he (the operator) is Iii drops out. He then can retire in his sleeping room in gwhich telephone 0, is located. After this is done the doctors or operator can he called hyh code of rings as in Fig. 3 let the operators ring he one and the Drfs iiingtwofivhen the party at S as in Fig. 3 presses his El) ground key & rings and holds it pressed while he talks he can give the desired ring 6: talk direct with the do sired party. i

In case an accidental ground should come on any of the wires oi any oi the lines a. piece of inics or other 25 insulation can he placed between the contact D having the mun-her of the line on which the trouble is and the switch B, this will cut the faulty line from the I'Bystem and the machine will give the desired night service on the rest of the lines.

30 In Fig.3, when the ground key o iii, is pressed and the generator turned the current will flow as follows; from the binding post at the right to the wire of line 1 and will seek its path to the g'ound. In thedincontact .D, represented by 3.

, in direct coi'moction with the doctor 8: operate The night service attachment for telephone lines as herein described and as illustrated in the zmcolupnnygram there are but two paths through hells, oi the some resistance... The hells, therefore will ring The current passes from the wireef line 1, down to contact 1), represented by I, thence along switch 13, to Half of the ringing current will go to the wire of line 3 calling the doctor'nnd hell the currci'lt will flow to coi'ituct four thence through the phone 0, and return through thcground to phone S, which while the ground key is pressed is ing drawing will work on an unlimited Ininihcr of lines. in exclmnges having 1 to 4 hundred lines it number of machines-es herein described having iron'i 25 to 30 con-' I claim nothing as to the telephonic.

tucts can he used. lines drops jacks phones & bells represented igrl ig. 3, but i 3 I claim:- I In a central exchange telephone system. :1 night service uttnclnncnt. comprising; n11 auxi vswitch, a suitable number of contacts illill conncoilons lending from one side or subscribers lines to the switch and menus for-closing the switch so as to temporarily ('(H1Il('i.'l the subscribers lines with those of the doctors lines or operators lines or any other special lint-:4 which are temporarily grounded on one Qidc at the will of the subscribers on the spcint lines or the doctors lines or the operators lincz-u n'licl'cby any of the special lines or doctors lint- 4 or operators lines temporarily grounded niny lu sigmllcd without the use of the usual exchange apparatus.

CLARENUI'J EDWARD ,ACK l lltALiN.

Witnesses ilin'oN l. l-llcn's, Ii. Amuuzn lll-lNNiS. 

